Kneeling during the Anthem – What’s happening so far?

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49ers at Redskins 10/15/17

Several players of the San Francisco 49ers kneel during the anthem before a game against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on October 15, 2017.  (Photo by Keith Allison)

The NFL has been in hot water recently after multiple players decided to kneel instead of stand during the national anthem as part of a peaceful protest against police brutality and racial inequality.

The protest started at the beginning of last year’s preseason when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the anthem, which went unnoticed for two weeks until he was questioned by the media. After Kaepernick oped to kneel instead when the official season started, several players joined his protest.

Perhaps the biggest participation of the protest came during Week 3 of the current NFL season after over 200 players either sat or kneeled during the anthem, showing displeasure with President Donald Trump’s comments at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of those NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flag, to say ‘Get that son of a (expletive) off the field right now. Out. He’s fired,’” Trump said to much applause.

Two weeks later, Vice President Mike Pence left an Indianapolis Colts game after visiting players for the San Francisco 49ers knelt during the anthem, “because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem,” he said on Twitter.

Roger Goddell, the commissioner of the NFL, spoke to reporters on Wednesday that all players “should” stand for the national anthem, but also defended the players’ actions, saying that they’re “not doing this to be disrespectful to the flag, but they understand how it’s being interpreted.”

So far, Ripon High School hasn’t dealt with student-athletes kneeling during the anthem, and football coach Chris Musseman is thankful about that.

“I don’t believe it is the right platform for the protest, especially for the high school level,” Musseman said. “They’re not sending a message or protest, they’re just doing this because the pros are doing it. I would have a hard time disrespecting our country, our flag, and our military by doing that.”

Consequences have not been thought up if a student does start kneeling during the anthem.

“I think that’s something that we would obviously deal with if it ever happened, but I don’t anticipate that happening,” vice-principal Victor Ramirez said.

The NFL has decided to not impose a rule on players who protest during the anthem. Team owners had a meeting in Manhattan, New York this week to discuss the controversial protests, but they ultimately opted out of the topic.